#they would be perfect for beastars universe

[zalktis]

Woof DoGraham, my beloved

[magicalcelestialgem]

The Smiling Critters - CatNap Headcanons & AU info

Heyyy! I have drawn CatNap in my style/AU! I suck at poses still. And following below is some CatNap headcanons/AU info.

A little info before looking at the headcanon and AU info below:

The Smiling Critters are young adults in the AU (currently unnamed). This is CatNap as a young adult (20 years old). Art of him in his younger years will appear later in the future.

The AU will be focused primarily in the cartoon universe, with a few elements from the game.

Because the AU is still in the works, some of these planned infos/headcanons will change.

There will be ships involved, especially CatNap x DogDay.

And that’s it for now! Next would be our favorite sun dog!

Toon/Cardboard CatNap Headcanons (Game)

Headcanon Voice: Benjamin Diskin

Sounds like: Jack from Beastars, Haida from Aggretsuko

Headcanon cardboard cutout lines:

Hey, there! My name is CatNap! Have you been getting enough rest?

Oh. You haven’t? Well, sleep is very important for you!

I can help you go to sleep.

I can even you make your dreams come true!

All you have to do… is follow him…

*soft exhale*

🌙 AU Info 🌙

CatNap and DogDay lived pretty far away from each other when they were young.

CatNap is the quiet and reserved type and rarely talks. But when someone asks or tells him to talk, he talks. He talks a little more when DogDay is with him. He is only more talkative when he’s alone. Example:

🌸 CraftyCorn 🌸: Hey, CatNap! What do you think of my lavender painting?

🌙 CatNap 🌙: *thumbs up* Good.

☀️ DogDay ☀️: Hey, CatNap! How are you doing?

🌙 CatNap 🌙: *tiredly, but still smiling* I’m doing alright, DogDay? And you?

CatNap was DogDay’s very first friend. They met in elementary school. CatNap was a loner and many kids did not want to hang out with him because he was “too creepy.” DogDay was the one who insisted that he will be CatNap’s first friend. Ever since then, the dog and cat have been inseparable.

CatNap and DogDay kept in touch when they were in high school. Unfortunately, the two were in separate high schools, but they never stopped talking to each other. It’s mostly through letters as they did not have phones at the time. 

CatNap slowly began to develop feelings for DogDay throughout his high school years. He gave the dog small hints and signs, but DogDay was so oblivious and dense.

CatNap left with DogDay to their new homes because not only did DogDay request he come with him, but CatNap also felt like he was ready to move out and be on his own. Not to mention weird dreams he had of a voice telling him to go with DogDay.

When DogDay and CatNap went to the mysterious land, they found their new homes. And their new pendents.

After he walked into the mysterious land, CatNap was secretly happy that his new house and DogDay’s new house are close to each other. And also the fact that his house is a cat tree and he is allowed to scratch on it.

Ever since he moved into his new house, he spent most of the day, sleeping in his new comfortable bed.

Every time CatNap visits each one of his friends’ homes and sees where they sleep, he feels tempted to save up all of his money and buy every single one of them a comfortable bed or something that can be like a bed.

CatNap, just like what his bio says, enjoys watching his friends sleep. He makes sure everyone has a good night’s rest. That includes making sure they have a nightmare-free sleep, and as he stays up, he keeps watch over his friends. Protecting them through the night. And when dawn breaks, he turns in for the day.

He loves to knead DogDay’s belly. His fur is so soft and smells of vanilla, he cannot resist making biscuits.

CatNap acts like a cat a lot. He even loafs, sleeps in such strange (yet cute) positions, and even has cat body language (slow blinking at DogDay, tail up to show he’s happy/friendly, dilating white pupils once he spots a perfect target to pounce on). And he can land on his feet.

CatNap likes to sit and sleep in boxes, sit in anything he can fit in, and pretty much sit where he wants. Why? Because he wants to and it’s comfortable.

He even said one time, “If I fits, I sits.”

One time, Bobby BearHug just hugged DogDay while CatNap was nearby. After Bobby let him go and left, CatNap just quietly went to DogDay and rubbed himself against the dog’s side like how a cat rubs itself on things, mixing his lavender scent into DogDay’s vanilla scent.

Add onto the fact that CatNap can smell who hugged/touched who. PickyPiggy is a bit of a tough one since she eats many different foods, even peppermint candies and vanilla dessert. 

Ever since CatNap walked into the land that will soon become his new home and neighborhood, he has been given two breath abilities. One is lavender, but the red gas came as a last resort if someone keeps staying up late, but it also comes out if he has ill intent, negative emotions, or is under stress. Following that is magical powers, since he was chosen to represent the Moon and all of its aspects (Night, Sleep, Dreams, and Darkness).

[autism-rizz-tournament]

Autism Rizz Tournament

Rizz: Originally short for "Charisma", Rizz (for this tournament, at least) refers to the appeal, charm or general "ability to pull" a character has, either romantically and/or sexually. (The character doesn't necessarily need to be attracted to anyone to have rizz. If they can make others fall for them, it counts)

How to vote

Propaganda

Legoshi (Beastars)

It’s literally canon no one understand him even though he makes perfect sense to himself, he takes things very literally and you have to be straightforward with him

Autism beast 5000 bisexual icon, he has at least 3 people that he rizzed and he doesn't even know how much rizz he has. His special interest is bugs and has said he wishes he was a bug sometimes because life would be simpler, also has a very strong sense of morality and many many other reasons but he's just so full of autism and his boyfriend and girlfriend were not immune to his autistic charm like they are both so whipped for his dumb ass

Pearl (Steven Universe)

In one episode, there's a bit where she shows the protagonist multiple phone numbers of random women she rizzed up without knowing it (the joke being she doesn't understand what those phone numbers mean since she doesn't get human technology). Multiple gem women show attraction/implied attraction to her too, she was in a relationship (or at least situationship) with Rose and Bismuth is in love with her. As for Pearl being autistic, she's fixated with order and her way of thinking is pretty rigid (at least in the beginning), Pearl also isn't great at reading people (this causes problems in some episodes though she doesn't usually have bad intentions).

[saspitite]

Needlessly Pedantic Answers to Worldbuilding Questions that Don't Matter That Much to Begin With, Episode #1:

why is everyone in your fictional world an animal? what do they eat? are there any non-sapient animals? is it more of a "Zootopia or Beastars" type situation? how does anatomy change across certain species?

so as nobody may know, i write about a lot of fictional worlds and one of them is your standard diverse furry society. while these are quite fun to mess around with, they tend to bring up a lot of questions (that technically don't matter too much, i mean you're just telling a fictional story for god's sake) about how the world works. and there's especially a lot of questions raised in my case because my world doesn't just feature mammals, but also reptiles, birds, amphibians, fish, and so on, so you wonder how differently they live, if at all. i'm gonna be evil and answer all of those questions that exactly -2 people have asked today!

1: why is everyone an animal?

of course, the real reason is because it's fun to explore stories and create characters that aren't human, and it's especially a fun opportunity to experiment with character design! but for a more in-universe reason, the gods like to take inspiration from each other and will tend to build off of each other's ideas. this world was made by the wandering god Belet, who became inspired after visiting several worlds of other gods. they were curious about creating a world where multiple sapient species exist, since it was a common trend in other worlds for only one dominant species existing at a time.

2. what do they eat?

naturally, all species are vegetarian, although some areas of the world have gotten to the point of inventing artificial foods adjacent to plant-based meat. the idea of cannibalism or killing other people to eat hasn't really been explored due to being kinda... dubious. but i guess it's up in the air. although it may sound weird, the practice of selling one's own dairy products and other non-meat animal products is quite normalized. it's basically just seen as the same level of normal as selling any other food items you make.

3. are there any non-sapient animals?

so far? nope. but that might get retconned in the future, i dunno. i haven't published enough about this world so i'm still able to reconsider if i wanted to. but as of right now, basically every single organism from the animalia kingdom is anthropomorphized, with a few exceptions. (exceptions usually being organisms i have no clue how to anthropomorphize lmao)

4. is it more of a "zootopia or beastars" type situation?

to expand on this question, it's basically asking for more information on how society functions and how fucked it is, if at all. initially i said it was going to be a utopia of sorts- i retconned that, lol, because it seems like i can't ever write about a truly happy world. it's definitely one of my better worlds to live in, but it's by no means perfect. i wouldn't say it's Beastars levels of messed up (black markets selling dubious meat and carnal instincts telling you to eat your friends) but it's probably not as cutesy as, say, Zootopia is on the surface level, although i do like how it tackled systemic racism and whatnot. i guess it's somewhere in between. there isn't anything going on that's straight out of a psychological horror movie but there's definitely inequality and tension everywhere.

5. how does anatomy change across certain species?

outside of the very obvious base change of every animal becoming anthropomorphic and thus more human-like, there's a couple other changes, such as necessary internal anatomy shifting around so all creatures can live on land properly, plus the ability to be able to speak the same languages, stuff like that. arthropods are a bit trickier (like oh my god so much would have to change) but i usually just explain that they're built different and call it a day. for my sanity. cold blooded animals are able to somewhat thermoregulate on their own, but will still largely rely on their surroundings. if you're cold, they're cold. wrap your lizard girls in blankets. also, all animals are similarly sized, but some tend to be slightly larger/smaller on average depending on the species. like, an old elephant man is gonna be MUCH taller than a moth lady lol.

oh, and an extremely unnecessary addition that i only expanded on because of the fact that i had to face the logical issue of giving my reptile characters boobs: non-mammalian animals will still tend to have visible "breasts" due to having the general silhouette of a human, but they don't produce milk or function at all outside of looks. some non-mammalians prefer to get their "breast" tissue surgically removed due to the fact that it serves basically no purpose for them.

that's about where the biological similarities end, though. when it comes to reproduction, biological compatibility largely follows the same odds as it would in the real world, so you sadly won't see many wolf/komodo dragon hybrids hanging out. this also tends to be a source of interspecies-relationship discrimination, and not to mention eugenics...

some miscellaneous tidbits:

-in terms of technology and resources, i'd say this world is about as advanced, if not a little more than our own. it's no sci-fi paradise but there are some significant advancements made that definitely outdo us, such as the research and technology poured into environment conservation and space exploration (the latter of which may or may not be one of the main topics of a story i'm working on... :3)

-trans healthcare is also reasonably advanced, although that doesn't imply there's less transphobia.

-yes, there's probably some unique version of veganism in this world, but instead of not eating animals it'd be like... fungi. or certain types of plants. or maybe even animal products anyways, despite the fact that they're normalized, for one reason or another.

-ohhhh clothes work so differently depending on what kind of animal you are. but i cannot get into that here. not without going insane. just know that i have been thinking about it a lot. there are entire different kinds of clothing for certain body types, just not the definition of body type you'd initially think of. there's specific clothing for the winged. the tailed and the non-tailed. the quilled. the feathered. the slimed. its insane

[fredfilmsblog]

Best of Original Cartoons: Castlevania: Nocturne

FredFilms Postcard Series 3.8

Kevin Kolde changed American cartoons on television and streaming forever. And Thursday, September 28, will just be more proof of it. 

You think that’s hyperbole?

When producer Kevin Kolde joined us at Frederator Studios in 2005, he brought along the animation rights to the Konami video game Castlevania, thinking it would make a great direct-to-DVD movie, and that the 30+ years of the franchise’s worldwide success would feed sequels forever. A “universe,” if you will. There certainly wasn’t any broadcast or cable channel that had shown a scintilla of interest in anything other than an animated comedy. Kevin, on the other hand was a dedicated video game player and felt that the video game-to-feature film attempts had been woeful failures. He was absolutely certain felt he could do better. 

Who was I to argue?

It took 10 years after Kevin had recruited Warren Ellis to write the script and “no” after “no” after “absolutely not!” before the good folks at Netflix stepped up and gave a Castlevania series a chance. As a global video platform, Netflix was uniquely suited to reaching across the Earth to the game’s generation of fans. And Kevin’s team building of Warren, voice director Meredith Layne and Powerhouse Animation’s Sam Deats, Adam Deats and Brad Graeber would deliver a winning mini-series (the original movie script broken into four episodes) guaranteed to capture the imagine of fans that had been pining for adult animation that examined more than just the hijinks of a wacky family.

Kevin’s showrunning skills were unparalleled, extremely unusual for a non-writing producer. But all his instincts were perfect, extending to the notion that a franchise universe could be in the cards. Enter Castlevania: Nocture, a new series that, IMHO, is just the beginning.

Back to my original “hyperbole.” Cartoons on television have changed forever. Proof? Arcane, The Guardians of Justice, Beastars, Blood of Zeus...  the list goes on. And none them possible without the success of Castlevania.

You can thank Kevin.

.....

From the postcard back:

Congratulations! You are one of 125 people to receive this limited edition FredFilms postcard!

www.fredfilms.com

Castlevania: Nocturne

Executive Producers Kevin Kolde Clive Bradley, Fred Seibert

Series 3.8 [mailed out September 18, 2023]

[cherishsscene]

Songs from my playlist that remind me of Beastars characters: Louis

This is just gonna be a small series of posts making connections to songs I like and characters from Beastars because these mfs live in my head rent free. These might not be the most accurate but this is just for fun.

Song: The Family Jewels - MARINA Character: Louis

!!SPOILERS ALL THE WAY TO CHAPTER 196 AHEAD!!

Now this song is about Marina’s relationship with her divorced parents. I think this song makes a lot of sense for Louis since a lot the series is focused on his strained relationship with his father. Marina is singing about her feeling of disconnect from her parents and feeling the need to play a role in front of others to keep their clean family image. Almost entirely of Louis’s character is him playing different roles throughout his life, both literally and metaphorically. 

With the opening lyric “I can’t break the cycle, am I just a fool?” you can relate it with the fact that Louis feels like he’s one of the people who are capable changing their society’s rules. He’s taking a different approach to this than Legosi. Louis uses his political influence while Legosi uses his natural strength. Systemic change is very slow and takes a lot of effort. There’s always going to be people that oppose you and that makes it easy to lose hope. Louis goes through the constant battle of choosing between what looks good for him and what he actually wants. Oguma frequently pushes back on Louis’s efforts in order to craft Louis into a person fit to be the CEO of Horns. This lyric connects back to Louis during the ending of the series where he cuts contact with everybody and still chooses to stay as CEO in a loveless-arranged marriage(I’m trying so hard to make sense of this ending lmao). He even says “But this is not a movie. You can’t have everything.” He feels like the only way to shape society in his vision is to comply with what is expected of him for the time being. Thus making him feel like his efforts to break this “cycle” were in vain. Even if he says he already changed the world, I feel like he doesn’t actually mean that.

I do think the connection between the song and Louis kinda falls apart with the lyric “Don’t you find it strange? Only thing we share is one last name” since Louis is adopted so him and Oguma don’t exactly share names, but you can then relate that to the only thing Louis and Oguma have in common is their species. Oguma only adopted Louis because he wanted another red deer he could pass off as his biological son. He only raised Louis for the purpose of inheriting Horns and keep the bloodline going, not with the purpose of creating a bond with him. Louis grows resentment for his father as he grows older because he’s realizing that fact more and more. Which is why Louis feels a disconnect from his father for most the series. It’s only until Louis is at the side of Oguma’s hospital bed when he realizes that his father just never really knew how to show his love. 

“Did I beat you at your own game? Typical of me to put us all to shame” I can see this as Louis frequently doing things that could stain his reputation as future CEO from the public view. He tries to hide his true thoughts in the beginning but only grows more confident as the series continues; like at first hiding his injury when rehearsing so he doesn’t show weakness to leaving everybody to join the Shishigumi to asking Legosi to eat his foot(the symbol for all the emotional damage he’s been carrying) and ect. It almost looks like he attracts trouble. His scandals grow and Oguma pushes him to go to University and form a bond with Azuki because it’s what he set for Louis. It would be shameful if the CEO’s past, from his roots in the black market to what he did for Legosi, was revealed to the public when he’s supposed to be one of the products of perfection, a wealthy family, a high education, high status, powerful marriage, ect. 

“Family said that I decided to live a loveless life. Is it my fault we stay divided?” Louis doesn’t have any blood related family but you could say he’s made his own family by the end (family that he ends up forgetting about in the end for no good reason but whatever) and we don’t get much of their personal opinions but I interpret his final train ride with Juno as her knowing this will be their last time seeing each other because Louis will have to focus on bigger things. Juno sees that Louis’s new life is completely different to the one she’s seen in the past and lets him feel something that she knows he’ll never get to experience again, a kiss with fangs. I’d imagine she knows that Louis decided to take a path he doesn’t agree with but reluctantly chose anyways; but you can say it’s not entirely his fault. People like Haru, Juno, and Legosi aren’t tied down to status or the future of a corporation so they can choose how to move forward with their lives; but Louis doesn’t get the same amount autonomy and is bound to this life he can’t negotiate his way out of. Which is showing how divided they truly are based on class and species.

“Simmerin’ sapphire can’t keep his cool” Louis has worked his entire life to move higher on the social latter even though he gets frustrated with a lot of it. When you feel like you’re living a lie you naturally start to rebel little by little. This dilemma of choosing what he wants for himself vs what is expected of him has been simmering for years. Louis was crafted to be a perfect jewel yet he doesn’t always comply with it out of spite. He forms a friends with benefits relationship with a rabbit even though he’s already engaged, starts running with the Shishigumi, gives up his foot to help aid a vigiliante, and further associates himself with said vigilante. Louis’s final act of retaliation with this life is when he talks about the most taboo topic on live TV: the Black Market. This is the moment when this sapphire finally loses his composure. 

And lastly for the lyric I think fits the best with Louis “Coal to diamond, sold to fools”. Louis started out at the bottom of society; as livestock only raised to be eaten. He was saved by Oguma who bought him and promised him a privileged life and a privileged future. Louis’s whole life is supposed to be preparation for him to take over Oguma’s legacy; from the minute he was bought to present day. Louis’s whole character was put under pressure for this, to shape him into the perfect CEO, much like with a piece of coal. Coal has to be put under intense pressure to become the beautiful jewel everybody covets. And nobody in the public eye that Louis is trying to lead knows the full extent of all the struggles he had to go through to get to his position. All they see is the new, shiny CEO of Horns who has it all. Louis knows this and makes sure he’s displaying this image to society, and they just eat it up. Even though barely anyone knows, Louis started all the way from the very bottom to the top of the social hierarchy, he’s had to mold and polish coal into diamond for his whole life. He sells a facade to a society of “fools”

Link to song, really worth a listen: https://open.spotify.com/track/4pRfzrPuKvtqYGwOJ5F6ZZ

Those are some of my interpretations of Louis’s character, this was kinda longer than expected but I hope this was worth a quick read

[repurposedmeatlocker]

Does rabbit Peter do the thing rabbits do where they do a little bounce when excited? Or that other thing where they just kinda flop over when extremely comfortable in their surroundings?

Is Davy ever at risk of trying to take a bite out of Peter because of their species?

Does chimken Mike ever crow and get embarrassed or does he just do that and not care?

Does Micky do the thing where dogs shake wildly after taking a bath?

How annoying are these questions?

I love these animals so much I give each one a lil kissy on the top of the head mwah 💋

Hii :3

1.Absolutely! I'd imagine he would do all those things : ) Hence why a rabbit is such a perfect fursona for him. Peter, himself, just kind of meshes really well with the basic characteristic of rabbits to me. Some people are harder to tag down as a specific animal (coughcoughmikecough) while others are so easy it feels innate.

2. Nope! At least in the "furry universe" I kind of formulate, predator and prey dichotomies are not really present. An anthro's species is more a symbol than a definition of their behavior. The easiest way to explain it is think of how anthropomorphic characters are used in Porco Rosso or the Arthur tv show rather than Beastars or Zootopia.

3. I'm sure Mike "squacks" and "crows", especially when he is caught off-guard or anxious. In regular Michael fashion, he really just plays it off to keep attention from fixating on him. I imagine his "crow" is naturally probably very sheepish and pathetic 💀💀 so he avoids doing it when he can 💀💀

4. Definitely!!! He technically does not need to since he has the common sense to know a towel will do the same job, but he cannot help himself. Primal urge ig.

All these questions are NOT annoying! I love talking about my anthropomorphic universe!! It brings me such joy.

[dontexpecttomakesense]

I posted 2193 times in 2021

87 posts created (4%)

2106 posts reblogged (96%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 24.2 posts.

I added 69 tags in 2021

#beastars - 21 posts

#bloodborne - 14 posts

#adastra - 5 posts

#adastra vn - 5 posts

#odd taxi - 4 posts

#neferu adastra - 4 posts

#amicus adastra - 4 posts

#neferu - 4 posts

#amicus - 4 posts

#genlock - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 125 characters

#does he think carnivores should renounce meat or does he believe there is a way for meat consumption to coexist with society?

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

If Jimmy Woo ever enters the Hex, his sitcom persona better be a stage magician called The Great Woodini.

91 notes • Posted 2021-02-20 19:30:50 GMT

#4

Ok so I just learned of an oddtaxi theory that says that the whole anthropomorphic animal's aspect of the anime is in fact an hallucination, since everything is seen primarily through the protagonist's lens and he's been confirmed to suffer some sort of medical condition for which he might not be properly medicated.

And it's not like is one of these wild speculation theories there is evidence in the anime that points towards this:

- Nobody refers to each other by their species or animals. No one ever says "that cat", "that dog" or "that [animal]", etc. The only who has ever done this is odokawa himself and the people who he has referred to as a specific animal had a suspicious reaction, as if they were weirded out or decided to follow his "joke".

- Odokawa had a flashback to an accident that he had when he was a child, but the two shapes that in the flashback look vaguely human, lacking any sort of animal traits.

- Odokawa seems to easily recognise people, and even seems surprised that people can't recognise others just as well. If you ascribe to this theory, it could be because he sees each individual with a vividly different appearance, facilitating recognition. On the opposite side people on the anime at one point manage to confuse two characters that are presented as two very different animals, which would be less strange that it happened if they aren't animals.

- In the official music video for the OP song, the singers are humans all throughout except on the moment that Odokawa looks at them through the rear view mirror, where they appear as anthropomorphic animals.

- There seem to be non-anthropomorphic animals, some seem to be birds, which could be argued that didn't "evolve" as there are no bird character that we know of (no reptiles or amphibians either), but there is a hint that there are non anthropomorphic cats too (though that happens in the opening and it's hinted that it might be more symbolic to the myth arc of the season than anything else).

All in all the problem that I have with this theory is that it serves little purpose beyond stating that Odokawa is an unreliable narrator. Shifting the artstyle mid anime could end up pretty being pretty jarring, and drive many away from it. Not to mention that everything seems to be designed for the antro aesthetic, it would make little sense to suddenly have to change proportions as well as character designs.

118 notes • Posted 2021-05-18 19:49:29 GMT

#3

If you watch the entire show as a whole, you realize that the only reason Sakura got away with murder is not because she’s super smart or anything (she’s smart enough to be a keen opportunist, but all her plans lack foreshight, like, come on, she went to the murder scene on taxi), but because she’s so massively lucky the universe basically conspired to keep her beneath notice.

Leaving asside the fact that she just so happens to be incredibly similar to Yuki, enough that she could pass for her if she concealed her face, we have that:

1. Rui asked Yuki to meet at the office late at night to discus something alone, giving her the perfect window to kill her.

2. Yamamoto being so desperate to make Mystery Kiss work that he decided to cover up the murder with the help of the yakuza rather than calling the police.

3. Yuki’s father having ties to the yakuza. Which is used by Yamamoto to call of the search, but also causes the yakuza to issue an investigation of their own, leading to Odokawa’s dash-cam fotage not arriving to the police.

4. Dobu setting Shirakawa as the honey pot for Odokawa causes him to rush to get to one of their dates, setting off Tanaka’s homicidal mania. Then meeting him when he asks to put a tracker on the one guy who is a loose end in her scheme.

5. Rui being so consumed by guilt that she confesses her involvement with Yuki’s disaparence, setting her as the main suspect instead of her.

The only thing agaist her is that Odokawa eventually recognises her, and it’s implied that he wants to tell the police, but with Rui as the prime suspect, all efforts would provably go to prove that she’s the murderer rather that some random girl who “just happened” to be arround in a taxi, on the night of the murder.

126 notes • Posted 2021-07-02 19:59:05 GMT

#2

The Odd Taxi finale really went and said "fuck it, unfurries your characters"

211 notes • Posted 2021-06-28 19:44:16 GMT

#1

Hurrr durr OZZIE’S is not a place for sentimentality and cutesy stuff

Bitch please

2058 notes • Posted 2021-10-31 21:37:50 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[koko2unite]

I think Louis' honesty (or lack there of) is one subtextual aspect of Beastars that a lot of people miss despite it being really there.

How often he doesn't like things that happens to him, such as preparing to become Beastars, leading the Shishigumi, heading his company. Yet, he is willing to fake it till you make it for the sake of others' trust.

He is an obedient child, whose purpose was to be successful and make other people proud of you. The gifted child. Something that a lot of us can relate to, including me.

I think it's partially because of how we view his relationship with Shishigumi. We need to remember that Louis was forced to be the boss (if he refuse he will be eaten). It wasn't until he realize his feelings about Legosi and carnivores that he find comfort with the lions.

We separate Ibuki and Oguma as the good and the bad father without realizing that both are fathers with expectations from their son, that might be not what the son wants, but the son has to do it because he's a good, obedient kid.

Meanwhile Legosi is the opposite, nobody expects anything from him, even his friends, and Gosha didn't either. His way of life and expectations comes from himself and it's what he wants. It's understandable why Louis would be jealous of him. Why can't he have that?

It is also the reason why he's attracted to him. Legosi doesn't see Louis and expect something from him. He see him in awe, like he was the perfect being, that Louis is okay to be Louis, perfect that way.

It's just sad that despite how much Paru put this subtext over her story, Louis' ending was not him escaping his mask and dishonesty to himself, but rather he returned to it.

Perhaps because every time he tries to leave it, he always ends up in a disadvantageous position, like the universe is telling him he will never escape of his fate to become the gifted, obedient child...

[transformers-fan-continuities]

Spotlight: Ties That Bind

This one’s a doozy folks! If you missed the last spotlight you can go read it here, but strap in for The Ties That Bind, an absolutely brilliant take on humanformers. It’s hosted here at @tiesthatbind-tf​ created by @artsy-hobbitses​!

Q) Give us a run down of your cont! What's it about, what's it called, what's it like?

Ties That Bind is a humanformers-based original continuity which is part Science Fiction and part Alternate History where the invasion of Quintessons and introduction of their technology to Earth in 1920 sets the world and humankind on a completely different trajectory. The active narrative spans a period from 1920 to 2070, covering the First and Second Quintesson Wars, the interplanetary Antillan War (leading to the creation of Unicron on Mars) and the Great War which involves the Autobots, Decepticons and Functionist stalwarts, and how it affects the characters.

The cast is pretty sprawling and the narrative is mostly centred around human drama with bits of humor interspaced and a dash of horror (mostly centred around how the previous government often chose to utilize the technology left behind from the Quintesson Wars to create new systems of oppression, which affected many of the characters, in the name of worldwide rebuilding efforts).

Q) What characters take the lead here? Any personal favorites?

I will admit to this continuity being very much heavy on the relationship between Old Bastards  Optimus Prime and Megatron, which is given considerable weight as they were best friends who had known each other since childhood and were deeply intrinsic to each other’s growths as individuals, which makes it all the worse when guilt and betrayal enter the party. Despite being captains in two corners of this battle, there’s a part of them that just cannot let go of their pasts together and they need to reconcile with how this will affect their agenda (Megatron) and how they lead their team (Optimus) who don’t necessarily share their history.

Other characters with significant development include:

Starscream, a Cold Construct in a toxic working relationship with Megatron with whom he is hiding a dark secret, who struggles to balance the underhanded viciousness he believes he needs to gain power and his innate desire from his Senate days to make the world a better place. 

Windblade, a Camien native who fights her government’s apathy concerning the situation on Earth which they see as unsalvageable compared to their more Utopian society. 

Prowl, a Cold Construct raised from childhood to be a cop in a police state, who finds out that he was brainwashed several times  to ensure his obedience and efficacy as a government asset and is now working to reclaim some semblance of the humanity he was never allowed to feel and figure out how much of him is who he really is and how much is programming.

Hound, a sheltered Beastman who joined the fight to ensure that Beastmen the world over would have the same rights he did in his homeland of Shetland Isle, but is forcefully stripped of his humanity and faced with his animal side during the war and has to relearn what personhood means amid his trauma.

Q) Is there a bigger point to this, like a theme or some catharsis? Or is it just fluffy fun?

God with the amount of time I spent sleepless trying to figure out how the logistics of this or the semantics of that were supposed to work in universe, I cannot for the life of me say it’s fluffy fun, but I can’t exactly say it hasn’t been pretty engaging either!

There’s elements of war being messy for everyone involved where there doesn’t seem to be a clear line between friend and foe at times, but I think for most part it prescribes to  Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s belief that people are inherently good, but are corrupted by the evils of society. Despite its dark themes (Including but not limited to child abuse, torture, illegal experimenation  and brainwashing), love and friendships do prevail, kindness does beget kindness, found families are made, even the smallest actions matter, and things do get better because there are people on both sides who genuinely want to, and strive to make it better.

With Cold Constructs and Beastmen, it also delves heavily into what it means to be human; to have agency and personhood.

There’s also a strong undercurrent of taking responsibility for one’s actions, even if they were made with the best of intentions (Avoidance of this is what eats up Starscream and Megatron from the inside, and what Starscream eventually embraces).

Q) How long have you been working on it?

There’s two answers to this!

I’ve had a Humanformers-related universe going all the way back to 2007 around the time the first Bayformers came out---basically I had a choice between learning to draw cars or draw people (I was an anthro artist back then) and I immediately chose people.

The 2007 draft however had no worldbuilding or connective storylines and was mostly a fun little venture into character design and practice which were actually instrumental to me experimenting and learning how to draw humans properly.

I left the fandom for about a decade and when I came back to it in late 2020 around September via the War for Cybertron series on Netflix, I immediately got hooked on the 2005 IDW comics I missed out on and wanted to get around to updating my old designs as well find a way to translate several of the concepts I wanted to explore in a human sense, so the 2020 update became its own full-fledged original continuity with detailed worldbuilding and history.

You can see the artistic evolution of several characters from their original incarnation below!

Q) It’s incredible to see your artistic improvement too! Give us a behind-the-scenes look! Show us a secret ;))

Say hello to my workspace! I’ve been working exclusively on the Ipad Pro since late 2016, which is fantastic because I can basically whip up concepts and sketches on the go anywhere. Nowhere is too out of bounds to work on TTB!

Also, do enjoy this sneak peek at true!form Rung, whose synthezoid human body took years to perfect.

Q) YESSSSS alright I must admit this is one of my favorite Rungs, and certainly my fave within TTB. Amazing. Phew, anyway. Where did you draw inspiration from? What canons, what other fiction, what parts of real life?

TTB was initially conceived as a faithful retelling of the IDW 2005 narrative before it was transformed into its own continuity and as such, it borrows heavily from concepts and mirrored plot lines introduced in that run! I chose to have the series inspired off it specifically for the amount of history and worldbuilding it introduced to the franchise.

Anime like Gunslinger Girl and Beastars inspired the depictions of Cold Constructs, especially the more harrowing aspects of their upbringing as government assets instead of children, and Beastmen (Beastformers) in TTB.

I haven’t depicted the world itself in my art all too much, but the architecture from Tiger and Bunny, which has sort of a futuristic Art Deco feel to it, is what you’d usually see in major cities. There is an in-universe reason for that---with a Point Of Divergence set in 1920 followed by 25 years (an entire generation) of progress basically being kicked to the curb due to the Quintesson wars, mankind was basically in a time-locked bubble until the end of the wars, and by then their heroes were 1920s-style rebellion leaders, which lead to 1920s fashion (especially among the Manual Working Class---Megatron, Jazz and Optimus all rock 1920s fashion at some point of their lives) and architecture being celebrated and retained as sort of a reminder of how things were before The Invasion. This anime’s background design is also where I adopted the tiered system TTB’s major metropolises are often built on (with each tier being designated to a different working class) from.

The main artistic style itself is a love letter to 90s cartoons, in particular Gargoyles’ deep and drama-driven character narratives and designs as well as The Centurions’ take on body armor logistics.

I also take inspiration, especially armor-wise, from the characters’ given heritage and background. As an example, Hotrod who is depicted as Irish has the flames on his armor done up with Celtic knots. Welsh aristocrat Mirage’s armor bears olden knight-style filigree and has his Autobot logo designed as a coat of arms. Indonesian Soundwave’s armor and Decepticon logo takes cues from Batik and Wayang Kulit while their mask is based off the Barong.

Q) They are absolutely gorgeous! Show off something you're really proud of, a particular favorite part of your cont.

The worldbuilding in general! Most Humanformers I’ve seen tend to treat it like a fun exercise which it is and is definitely valid, but I found myself wanting a full-fledged world to lose myself in and I sought to try and make that world myself by drafting a detailed history and timeline of events which would affect ongoing narratives, having indepth worldbuilding to include almost all societal aspects of the universe and  expanding on the concept of Beastmen and Cold Constructs existing in a human setting.

I’m not so secretly proud of the research and diversity included to make the cast look like the multicultural, globally-based team that they were meant to be instead of being locked to a single region! My original draft from 2007 was, to put it simply, quite culturally monolithic and I wanted to improve on that aspect with TTB.

I’m also proud that I’ve kept to it this far! I’m a notoriously flaky person jumping from one idea/fandom to another and to have kept at this continuity for the better part of ten months is honestly a personal feat.

Art-wise, this scene depicting a young Megatron working alongside Terminus and Impactor (cameo by @weapon-up-wallflower​‘s OC Missit!)  is definitely one of my favorites since it helps build up the world they live in and plays to familial bonds and comfort found in one another despite their less than ideal circumstances.

Q) Everything has come together so beautifully, you absolutely should be proud. What other fan canons do you love and why? Would you like to see them interviewed?

I am dying to hear more from @iscaredspider​’s Sparkpulse continuity! Her designs are MIND-BLOWINGLY GORGEOUS and I want to hear more about what inspired her to work on it!

Also YOU. Yes YOU BLURRITO. LET ME HEAR MORE ABOUT SNAP.

Q) [wails and squirms away in the mortifying ordeal of being known but in a very flattered way] I WILL SOMEDAY I PROMISE aflghsdjg thank you QwQ

Well that was fantastic, Oni, thank you muchly! A magnificent continuity with so much to look forward to! Coming up next is another personal fave of mine, the first inspiration for SNAP, so stick around...

[w2beastars]

Louis and Oguma: Numberless love

Oguma is extremely important in Louis life. Louis would have been someone’s appetizer if the sterile stag had not adopted him and shaped him into Sublime Beastar material.

But Oguma is socially awkward and is much better with numbers than he is with feelings. He made sure that Louis would study hard and learn to be well spoken despite being without a language till the age of five, but they never spent much time together. In fact, they only share a meal once a month since Oguma is a work-o-holic. Because of Oguma’s lifestyle, Louis felt unloved and isolated even though he admired his adopted father and wanted to be like him.

When Louis decided to drop out of school, he tried to make Oguma sign the leave form, first by claiming there was no actual relationship between them, then through force with a gun. Both times, Oguma calls his bluff. Because even though Oguma is not an emotional guy, he is a very smart one. Heck, he is basically a calculator made of flesh and fur. So he looks at his gangster son as a math problem to solve and crush the numbers to figure out what would happen if Louis against expectations would pull the trigger as well as what would be best for his son who needed to grow. Oguma challenge Louis threat by deciding he would be okay with the world assuming he had shot himself and not that Louis had murdered him and therefor calls Louis bluff by making a compromise. I see this as Oguma’s way of being concerned that Louis might be suspected of murdering his own father, which is actually touching that Oguma is more concerned about Louis’ fate than his own life. Anyways, Oguma refuses to sign the leave form before rewriting it so that it says that it is a temporary leave. Louis is annoyed by Oguma not taking him serious, but he doesn’t mind since all he has to do it NOT return to school.

So Oguma allows Louis to go join the Lion mobsters, hoping that Louis can work out whatever issues he has. And he is PARTLY right as living in the BAM was an educational experience and Louis did grow the hell up.

But Louis also lost a leg by letting Legosi eat it. How does Papa Stag react?

He lets Louis recover in a luxury hospital room and even tells him he has ordered a high quality prosthetic leg.

Interesting thing about how Oguma raised Louis is that he spends money on him no matter if he is pleased or displeased. Like when Louis was a child and failed getting a perfect score on his test, Oguma bought him an expensive bicycle, something that confused Louis.

There could be a couple of reasons to why Oguma did that. For example: Maybe he did it to comfort Louis who might feel down about not getting a perfect A+ as usual. Or perhaps it was to show him that Louis doesn’t have anything to prove, Oguma will still cherish and spoil him in his own way. Mayhaps he just did it to confuse him and keep him on his toes.

Or perhaps there is a reason so complex and well-calculated that we can’t figure it out.

First thing Oguma does once Louis is awake and somewhat recovered after the massive blood loss that was a result of getting his leg eaten is telling him that he made sure that everything is prepared for when Louis will take his test at Cherryton and then go to Galdona University.

And then he does something unexpected...

Oguma asks Louis if it was painful to lose his leg to a carnivore as he lovingly places a hand oh Louis head... while still having the same stone face that is impossible to read. Louis is dumbfounded(and kinda weirded out). Having had a pseudo father in Ibuki the Lion and experienced what it means to be cared for, Louis can finally see that his adopted father loves him, even if his way of showing this love is quirky as fuck.

Heck, Oguma even says that it is his fault for letting Louis go and live like a mobster at the BAM.

He does discipline him in a manner as he declares that Louis will not be allowed to go anywhere without a bodyguard, limiting his freedom. Something that actually makes Louis relived as he is now sure that his father is genuinely mad at him.

Louis and Oguma’s relationship becomes a bit more relaxed after that. Oguma becomes better at showing concern and his feelings for Louis, like when he buys a stun gun large enough to pacify an elephant and storms his room whenever Louis sounds like he is in trouble(most cases he just tripped because he has yet to get used to his new artificial foot). He even tries harder at understanding his adopted son and asked him if he is gay and assure him that it is not a problem if that’s the case.

When Oguma is about to die as a result of being hit by a car, Louis arrives and is told that the old stag is delirious and keeps mumbling numbers. But poor Oguma is not delirious at all. He is trying to figure out the value of his relationship with Louis. Being a businessman who gained his success though math, Oguma has always run the numbers on every single relationship he has to see if it was one that could somehow benefit him or his company.

But he can’t do the math on Louis. It is simply impossible for the calculator with antlers to put a number on it. And even though it is one of the stranger things Louis has heard his father say, he still appreciate the statement of affection from Oguma, that he makes it clear that he loves him so much that logic is not a factor.

After hugging Louis for the last and probably first time, Oguma dies. And Louis now knows for sure that he will run his father’s company and make the world a better place, just like Oguma predicted he would.

[katribou]

Maybe its not supposed to be a racism allegory. It still works for the story and worldbuilding. Just like Beastars, where attempts to compare it to real life won't work since the problems the characters face are really specific to their own society and their own nature, so the story wouldn't make sense if you replaced them with humans. But if the allegory really was the author's intent, then you're right and it was poorly done.

alright. i want to give you the benefit of the doubt, but there is a bit of ignorance to what you say. so i’ll be as thorough as possible about my thoughts.

authorial intent is really powerless when it comes to what a piece of media says or does. if a piece of media harms, but the author did not mean it to harm, does that make the harm any more less? 

content creators and content consumers alike are likely familiar (and if not, should be) with the notion of ‘death of the author.’ from tvtropes’ summary of the concept:

Death of the Author is a concept from mid-20th Century literary criticism; it holds that an author's intentions and biographical facts (the author's politics, religion, etc) should hold no special weight in determining an interpretation of their writing. This is usually understood as meaning that a writer's views about their own work are no more or less valid than the interpretations of any given reader. Intentions are one thing. What was actually accomplished might be something very different. The logic behind the concept is fairly simple: Books are meant to be read, not written, so the ways readers interpret them are as important and "real" as the author's intention. [...]

Bottom line: A) when discussing a fictional work with others, don't expect "Author intended this to be X; therefore, it is X" to be the end of or your entire argument; it's universally expected that interpretations of fiction must at least be backed up with evidence from within the work itself and B) don't try to get out of analyzing a work by treating "ask the author what X means" as the only or even best way to find out what X means — you must search for an answer yourself, young seeker. Writing is the author's job; analyzing the work and drawing conclusions based on it is your job — if the author just gave away the answers every time, where would the fun be in that?

>interpretations of fiction must at least be backed up with evidence from within the work itself. okay, fine. so i argue brand new animal is a racism allegory. let’s look within the show to find evidence of this.

from episode 9: “But Nazuna wants to give a glimmer of hope and dreams to the beastmen who’ve been persecuted and suffered for so long.”

'the beastmen who have been persecuted.’ what exactly does that mean? persecution as defined in mac’s dictionary function (which cites new oxfords english dictionary): hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of race or political or religious beliefs. 

the beastmen are not oppressed because of who they believe in, so not of religious beliefs or political beliefs, with the exception of believing they deserve rights, which plays into... that they are persecuted for race.

i dont really think i need to back up that statement, but for the sake of a sound argument, this is from episode 1.

it’s clear that this human dude has a distaste for michiru here because of what she is, a beastman, which is essentially what she is, her race. hence racial persecution, or, racism.

in your own words, “attempts to compare it to real life won't work since the problems the characters face are really specific to their own society and their own nature, so the story wouldn't make sense if you replaced them with humans.”

is the above exchange really so displaced from real life? this kind of thing really does happen; being targeted and even beat up simply for existing as you are is not something that is so specific to only the world of bna. 

sure you may argue that replacing humans into the whole story would not make sense and well sure, yes. it is indeed a work of fiction so it won’t be a perfect replication of the human experience. but there is enough situations like the above to argue it mirrors racial prejudice in real life.

the evidence is there, so with the philosophy of “death of the author,” it is arguable this piece of media exists as a racial allegory, whether or not trigger wrote it to be that way. if they somehow did not have real race/minority relations in mind when writing this, which i would find very hard to believe, than it has still become bigger than them. because people who face racism will relate to scenarios such as beastmen being the target of hate crimes like the above, and nothing the authors meant to do really changes that feeling.

when such a scenario as above is set up in the very first episode to give you a picture of what this persecuted group experiences, while simultaneously likening itself to what minorities in real life experience, the treatment in following episodes of said group will reflect back as commentary on real life groups whether or not the authors intended that.

in bna’s case it’s rather damaging with implying this minority group is prone to rage and destruction because of their nature or dna:

episode 9: “Beastmen are easily influenced by their emotions. When their frustration builds up, the slightest thing sends them into a fury, causing confusion.”

episode 10: “The stress from multiple species invading your habitat accumulates subconsciously. In that situation if there is a powerful mental shock, the enrage switch in beast [dna] is set off, and their fight instincts take over.”

this is where you may argue in your own words “the story wouldn't make sense if you replaced them with humans.” which, yes that is true, but again this is fiction. the dynamic they establish in that first episode with beastmen being persecuted by humans is one founded in real race relations so the show at large becomes a vehicle to which it addresses race relations.

ep 10: “They’re [the drug vaccine that cures beastmen of being animals] made to subdue beastmen who have turned savage.”

goodness this almost becomes about eugenics! which is another movement founded on racism and other -isms!

the word “savage” generally refers to wild, violent unconfined animals, which, fine, i suppose, after all these ARE animal people in the show. but the show has established this animal people group as a targeted victim minority. historically in real life, the word “savage” has been a label used to describe many persecuted groups, like indigenous peoples or african americans, in a way to dehumanize them by comparing them to animals and force the idea that they are uncivilized while making the people in power feel more justified about their rough treatment of the targeted group.

i suppose arguably they are using the word “savage” to describe animals as the word originally was intended, but after establishing the framework of these animals as being persecuted peoples, do you understand the implications? are they basically saying yes, targeted minorites, are savage? admittedly i will say that that idea is a big jump, but even if you stick to the world of the show, basically this establishes that everyone is at the mercy of their genes turning them bad... not a great message.

i kind of went beyond the scope of what you addressed in your message, but wanted to show an example of how i think it is very important to consider how a piece of media can very easily become bigger than its creators, and that you cannot hide behind authorial intent saying otherwise when media expresses potentially damaging ideas. 

to reiterate the line from tvtropes: Intentions are one thing. What was actually accomplished might be something very different.

[mikazuki-juuichi]

2021 tv

*

Assorted tv shows and other stuff I’ve finished this year so far (and that I did not do a longer review of for one or another reason):

ANIMATED

- DC Superhero Girls (Season 1). Terrific action-comedy, one of the very few recent superhero shows I’ve actually enjoyed. Loosely adapted not from the previous incarnation of “DC Superhero Girls”, but rather from the animated shorts “Super Best Friends Forever”, part of the DC Nation animated shorts —all of them worth a look (well, the assorted Nation shorts are of VERY different quality, as you can expect. Still…).

- This Duckburg Life (Podcast). Spin-off from the 2017 Ducktales cartoon. Every bit as engaging as the show, with near-perfect comedic timing. Also, pretty much the end of that particular incarnation… for now at least.

- My next life as a villainess: All routes lead to doom! (Season 1). One the most popular recent Anime (it just got a second volume), sort of a… if not “Deconstruction” then subversion of the “Isekai” genre. Also noteworthy for fans of Visual Novels, both romance and mystery.

- Vivid Strike! Spin-off of the successful Anime franchise “Lyrical Nanoha”… of which I have to admit I have never seen a single episode yet. Vivid is a fantasy-action series that is notable both for the intense action scenes… and for the often alarming focus on preteen girls getting pounded in increasingly vicious ways. And I’m told this one is actually one of the mildest entries of the Nanoha franchise! So maybe not for all tastes, but if you know what you’re in for…

- Beastars (Season 2). The Netflix Anime adaptation of the excellent furry manga takes a few liberties with the source, most of the for good. Some for not-so-good, managing to make the characters a lot more unreasonable. Still buoyed by the genuinely gorgeous animation.

- DC Showcase: Death (animated short). Remarkable tale that would fit right at home with the original Sandman comic or the Death spin-offs. Maybe a touch hurt by the insistence of placing it squarely in the DC universe (that damn Arkham Asylum shot), but otherwise more than worth a look.

- Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (animated movie). An entertaining enough showcase of 21-st. Century Wonder Woman storylines, drawing as much from the comics as from the live-action movies —and in this case set on the “DC Animated Movies” continuity which once again creates far more problems than it solves. Between this and the Wonder Woman shorts also included on DC Nation, I get to the by now probably common question: When do we get a “Wonder Woman: The animated series” proper?

(Note: Been reading “Historia”, a series of articles by Riteshi Babu which chronicle the entire history of Wonder Woman comics. Very much recommended, in part to get an idea of how that animated series could go. Look them up online)

- Masters of the Universe: Revelation. One of those shows that people online love to whine about yet people in real life enjoy a lot. Very entertaining, whether you take it as a sequel of the He-man cartoons or a, this word again, sorta Deconstruction or just subversion of it.

- Trese. Terrific horror fantasy yarn adapted from a famous Filipino comic. Great world-building, animation and overall storyline.

- Onyx Equinox. Another terrific horror fantasy yarn, in this case drawn from assorted Mesoamerican mythologies woven into an original story.

I really do hope these two last will continue.

LIVE-ACTION

Without planning to, all are YA thrillers, hehe:

- The Wilds. It’s tempting to say “Lord of the flies + Lost, but with girls” —but that is really underselling this neat little show about troubled teenage girls stranded in a mysterious island.

- Panic. Adaptation of the Lauren Oliver book (“Before I die”), about a small town with a summer tradition: A very high-risk game where the prize is millions and the worst outcome is death.

- Al-Rawabi School for Girls. Teenage revenge yarn from Jordan, by turns darkly humorous, vicious and dramatic. Quite the surprise.

And three movies:

- A simple favor. Virtually every 21st Century domestic thriller (From “Gone girl” to “Desperate Housewives”) run through a blender. Far more implausible than its fans want to believe, and yet undeniably entertaining.

- 1922. Bleak Stephen King adaptation (but current-day King, which, you know, accounts for the bleakness in question), generally more grim than horrific.

- The woman in the window. Competent thriller that’s as skillfully made as ultimately, and sadly, forgettable.

WHEW!

[juleswolverton-hyde]

Otaku Nostalgia | Anime & Manga June 2021 Update

One thing not a lot of people know is that I used to be a big otaku. Yes, you read that correctly. 

I was an otaku.

However, after graduating high school, I gradually left the hobby behind and started to focus on matters like work, university, and travelling. Nevertheless, on my last trip before the pandemic grew severe again, I bought a few manga when I was in Paris (late July/early August 2020). I meant to renew my interest in this part of Japanese culture back then yet took about a year to properly sit down and read them. I do have to admit it was a bit of a struggle since my French has grown rusty in the past four years. All the same, they brought back memories of my teenage years and may or may not have kickstarted the itch to collect manga again.

Okay, they have though I do have to say I try to keep the collection to a minimum since manga is quite expensive in The Netherlands. Fortunately, or perhaps not so in regards to the mangaka, there is the opportunity to read a lot of them online.

In regards to anime, it would be a lie to say Jaebeom and Christian Yu don’t form part of the reason I started watching again. Netflix providing me with Beastars was another push to kick back, relax, drink coffee, and watch a few anime episodes (or binge a whole series).

Having said all this, I thought it would be nice to provide monthly updates on what I watch and read. Also, if you have any recommendations, please leave a comment or shoot me a message. Now, without further ado, let’s get started.

Manga read: 6

Anime watched: 4

Manga

Currently reading: Kakuriyo Vol. 2 & Wotakoi Vol. 3

Summaries provided by Goodreads.

Wotakoi Vol. 1 & 2

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Josei

Author & Illustrator: Fujita

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Summary: Narumi and Hirotaka are, by all appearances, a power couple. They're young, good-looking professionals. But they have secrets from everyone but each other: they're serious geeks! Narumi is a fujoshi, and Hirotaka's a hardcore gamer. Their sweet, awkward love story started life as a webcomic before becoming a full-blown manga series by popular demand, and is about to become a major anime series!

Review: Normally, I am not one for romcoms and avoid them at all costs to spare myself from their boredom. However, Wotakoi forms an exception to the rule since Narumi’s & Hirotaka’s as well as Hanako’s & Tarou’s love stories are the perfect blend of serious adult matters and what it means to be an otaku or a nerd in general in a world which sees nothing but the stereotype.

I might be aro and ace, but this series gives me hope I might one day find someone who accepts my nerdy side and participates in anything geeky since they are a nerd themself.

Yes, this romcom is the only one I will accept as good and enjoy to the fullest.

Kakuriyo Vol. 1

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Supernatural, Josei

Author: Midori Yuma

Illustrator: Waco Ioka

Rating:  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Summary: Faced with the choice of being married to a strange spirit or being made into dinner, Aoi decides to create a third option for herself! Aoi Tsubaki inherited her grandfather’s ability to see spirits—and his massive debt to them! Now she’s been kidnapped and taken to Kakuriyo, the spirit world, to make good on his bill. Her options: marry the head of the inn her grandfather trashed, or get eaten by ayakashi. But Aoi isn’t the type to let spirits push her around, and she’s determined to redeem her grandfather’s IOU on her own terms! Aoi wants to work off her debt to the Tenjin-ya inn, but she only has one day to find a position and none of the managers are willing to hire a human! If she can just get someone to see past her family background, Aoi is certain she can prove her worth!

Review: All right, I know I said I will only accept Wotakoi as a good and enjoyable romcom, but this one is splendid too. Also, I have a soft spot for anything having to do with yōkai (be it in the shape of ayakashi or something else).

Furthermore, Aoi is a strong-willed girl who knows what she wants. It is a nice change from the softer girls who are more dependent on the male protagonist/love interest. Independent women, that is where it’s at.

In regards of the secondary world, I adore how the reader gets an insight into the Japanese Underworld. Whereas Hades and Hel are dark nothingness, Hell is a flaming pit (depending on who you ask because Bede’s vision or, rather, Drythelm’s is vastly different from Dante’s), and Buddhism knowns a bright light of wisdom that stops the cycle of reincarnation, Kakuriyo is filled with ships flying in the sky and lanterns lighting up the heaven. I do know how to envision the other realms, though I am certain they will intrigue me just as much if the manga will introduce them.

Lastly, I merely want to bring the best fox boy to your attention. I ship Ginji and Aoi so much despite not having read much of the manga nor having seen the anime. This boy is just the sweetest, caring, and cheekiest lad out there.

That Wolf Boy Is Mine Vol. 1

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Supernatural, Shōjo

Author& Illustrator: Yoko Nogiri

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Summary:  Komugi’s not sure what to expect when her family moves to the remote northern island of Hokkaido, and she starts at a new high school. But she certainly didn’t expect a boy to come up to her and say, “Gee…you smell good, somehow!” That boy is Yu Ogami, and Komugi finds herself strangely drawn to him. But when she sees him in an unguarded moment, she discovers he’s a werewolf! Now she has a choice to make: to keep his secret, or to ask for help and risk angering a wolf-boy?

Review: I love this manga and that is an understatement. Has this manga unconsciously influenced my personal writing? Maybe. I can’t say I mind, though the summary really does remind me of my current project (Not by the Moon/Until the Last Page of Spring). 

I digress.

Anyways, the plot is fairly simple and straightforward. However, the manga thrives on the interactions between the characters. Essentially, this is what the story is all about: a normal girl falling in love with a wolf (don’t you glare at me) and being pulled into the world of ayakashi, a world she tries to reconcile with her own. It’s cute, quick, and simple. Moreover, there are only four volumes. Therefore, it’s a perfect story to binge-read in one sitting, especially now that it is summer.

Rose & Wolf Vol. 1

Genre: Comedy, Romance, School Life, Supernatural, Shōjo

Author & Illustrator: Jun Yuzuki

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Summary:  This romantic comedy follows a high school girl and a male student with a hidden secret, both attending in Sumeragi Academy, one of Japan's most elite boarding schools. Futaba Yoshino is a freshman girl taking regular courses at the academy, but she daydreams about Kōga Kiriya, an aloof second-year student with translucent, dusk-colored eyes, but he's on the advanced track of special studies. Although they live in different worlds, something unexpected suddenly brings them together.

Review: I will be completely honest and admit I bought this manga because it was on sale and the title caught my eye (for obvious reasons). Nevertheless, I was disappointed with the story due to its clichés, poor worldbuilding, and less than awe-inspiring ‘wolves’. In fact, they were supposed to be dogs yet all I could see were boys with animal ears.

Worldbuilding-wise, the concept of the beast being reliant on an item for its lifeforce is a trope that is either done well or a complete flop. In the manga, a boy relies on a pearl a girl swallowed and can’t get back which condemns him to die. To me, this is an example of a poor execution of the trope. After all, with what little biology I had in high school, I am fairly certain the mangaka is being too drastic in her story.  

Tokyo Ghoul: Re Vol. 1

Genre: Dark fantasy, Supernatural thriller, Seinen

Author & Illustrator: Sui Ishida

Rating:  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Summary:  Haise Sasaki has been tasked with teaching Qs Squad how to be outstanding investigators, but his assignment is complicated by the troublesome personalities of his students and his own uncertain grasp of his Ghoul powers. Can he pull them together as a team, or will Qs Squad first assignment be their last?

Review: It is a shame my French has become rusty and I could therefore not understand the whole of the story. It also doesn’t help I haven’t finished the original series (though I am still eyeing the box set). 

Notwithstanding, from what I did comprehend of the plot, it is as dark and gritty as Tokyo Ghoul. Many beloved characters from the original story return in the sequel, giving the reader a sense of where they’ve ended up and their place in society.

I can’t say anything else since I think it’s better to first have read the original series to avoid confusion. However, there is a brief introduction to the world in the first volume. Nevertheless, for newcomers or people who return to the Tokyo Ghoul universe after a long time like me, this intro is too little to go on. Henceforth, read Tokyo Ghoul first and only then start this series. 

Anime

Currently watching: The Morose Mononokean (Fukigen na Mononokean)

Summaries provided by MyAnimeList.

Tokyo Ghoul (S1) & Tokyo Ghoul √A (S2)

Genre: Dark fantasy, Supernatural Thriller

Episodes S1: 12

Episodes S2: 12

Rating S1: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Rating S2: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Summary S1:  Tokyo has become a cruel and merciless city—a place where vicious creatures called "ghouls" exist alongside humans. The citizens of this once great metropolis live in constant fear of these bloodthirsty savages and their thirst for human flesh. However, the greatest threat these ghouls pose is their dangerous ability to masquerade as humans and blend in with society. Based on the best-selling supernatural horror manga by Sui Ishida, Tokyo Ghoul follows Ken Kaneki, a shy, bookish college student, who is instantly drawn to Rize Kamishiro, an avid reader like himself. However, Rize is not exactly who she seems, and this unfortunate meeting pushes Kaneki into the dark depths of the ghouls' inhuman world. In a twist of fate, Kaneki is saved by the enigmatic waitress Touka Kirishima, and thus begins his new, secret life as a half-ghoul/half-human who must find a way to integrate into both societies.

Review: This was actually a re-watch for me, likely one of the last anime I saw before I dropped the hobby. And, boy, did it bring back feelings! 

I won’t give any spoilers, but I was bawling my eyes out once again at the end of season two. In fact, I think I cried more during that season than because of the first.

I know Japan has a strict code on what can and can’t be shown on screen, but I would have liked for the gore to not be censored. After all, in the manga, it’s guts and gore galore. I didn’t mean to make that rhyme, but there you go.

Other than that, I was pinned to the edge of my seat as I was watching, indulging in pure nostalgia while also continuously being put on edge by the story. It goes without saying this is my go-to for when I want something dark and gritty that also, funnily enough, comments on modern society.

Wotakoi

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Episodes: 11

Rating:  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 

Summary:  Having slept through all four of her alarms, the energetic Narumi Momose finds herself running late for her first day of work at a new office. As she races to catch her train, she makes a promise to herself that none of her coworkers will find out about her dark secret: that she is an otaku and a fujoshi. Her plan goes instantly awry, though, when she runs into Hirotaka Nifuji, an old friend from middle school. Although she tries to keep her secret by inviting him out for drinks after work, her cover is blown when he casually asks her whether or not she will be attending the upcoming Summer Comiket. Luckily for her, the only witnesses—Hanako Koyanagi and Tarou Kabakura—are otaku as well. Later that night, the pair go out for drinks so that they can catch up after all the years apart. After Narumi complains about her previous boyfriend breaking up with her because he refused to date a fujoshi, Hirotaka suggests that she try dating a fellow otaku, specifically himself. He makes a solemn promise to always be there for her, to support her, and to help her farm for rare drops in Monster Hunter. Blown away by the proposal, Narumi agrees immediately. Thus the two otaku start dating, and their adorably awkward romance begins.

Review: I have nothing to say about the anime that I haven’t already mentioned in my review of the manga. Henceforth, refer to that to know my thoughts.

Beastars S1

Genre: Coming-of-Age, Drama, Fantasy

Episodes S1: 12

Rating:  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Summary:  In a civilized society of anthropomorphic animals, an uneasy tension exists between carnivores and herbivores. At Cherryton Academy, this mutual distrust peaks after a predation incident results in the death of Tem, an alpaca in the school's drama club. Tem's friend Legoshi, a grey wolf in the stage crew, has been an object of fear and suspicion for his whole life. In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, he continues to lay low and hide his menacing traits, much to the disapproval of Louis, a red deer and the domineering star actor of the drama club. When Louis sneaks into the auditorium to train Tem's replacement for an upcoming play, he assigns Legoshi to lookout duty. That very night, Legoshi has a fateful encounter with Haru, a white dwarf rabbit scorned by her peers. His growing feelings for Haru, complicated by his predatory instincts, force him to confront his own true nature, the circumstances surrounding the death of his friend, and the undercurrent of violence plaguing the world around him.

Review: I bloody adore this series! It is also the one which initially got me back into the otaku game. Admittedly, the animation first threw me off a bit since there is a lot of CGI going on. Notwithstanding, I kept watching because of the story and Legoshi (for obvious reasons). In all seriousness, I had more fun following Legoshi’s point of view than the others’ likely because he is relatable to me as a person. Granted, I’m not a tall predator (if anything, I am likely closer to Hal’s or Juno’s height) but his personality overlaps a lot with mine.

All in all, I cannot wait to start watching season 2 and to begin reading the manga. I recently acquired the first three volumes, so I think I might binge-read them in the near future.

[weebsinstash]

Yeah! And I also think the beastar society would be interested in how humans are herbivores, not covered in fur, harmless/dangerous, and not overwhelmed by instincts (mostly). Kind of like when a regular human ends up in an ABO universe

Technically humans are omnivores but yeah I think if they existed humans would either have it pretty rough or completely made

Now for fun/entertainment reasons let's say humans are pretty rare and like 90% of society has never even seen one in person. While we don't exactly know how birth in the BS world works, if it varies from species to species or what, humans have long gestational periods for mammals and birth can be very risky, on top of only 1 baby being the average. Imagine being a human who lives in a rural area (let's say farming country) who covers up every single time you go out (a face mask, sunglasses, gloves, hats and hoodies) to protect your identity because you're essentially critically endangered and that attracts a lot of attention for many bad reasons. If anyone happens to see something that makes them suspicious you lie about being a kind of primate with alopecia that makes you hairless (which in universe is more believable to most than you being a human). Say a nosey neighbor stumbles onto your property without your knowledge or permission and discovers your secret. They're never found again; you can't risk them telling anyone you exist, its THAT dire. You've got a decent chunk of land and you bury them as deep as you can dig; at least the decomposition will be good for your crops.

Eventually the government catches wind and comes for you, probably even Yafya himself (also on another note have they ever implied there's multiple Beastars at once because it sounds almost like it's its own class of people but they also treat it like there is A Beastar. Whatever). You get dragged away from your home along with any family you're living with, put in a safe house in a secret location, only a select few knowing of your existence. Your kidnappers speak very calmly to you, telling you the new situation: you're being put in protective conservation to eliminate threats against your life. You're going to receive the best foods and the best medical care, the latter of which is going to involve many invasive examinations and tests without your consent. They have to make sure you're in perfect health and treat any potential problems they see, after all. Oh, and yes, being forced to have children "for the sake of your species" is not a voluntary process

On another less-dystopian note, imagine still being allowed out and to live your life, but with constant security hanging over your shoulder, like some real secret service shit. You're allowed to seek higher education at Cherryton because it's a prestigious academy with plenty of funding, but really, you're only going to be ALLOWED to work certain low-risk jobs, so your courses and school activities reflect that.

It's a pretty sheltered, unfufilling life. At least that new gray wolf classmate you've met is nice to you, even if you've been catching him staring a lot....

[galos-writing]

Which JP character I relate to an anime that I've seen

•Abbé de Coulmier•

ATTACK ON TITAN: After 100 years of peace, titans begin to attack a reduced population. All of this, mixed with religious and political affairs. I think everything that happens may thrill our dear priest.

DEVILMAN CRYBABY: Demons. Bible. Blood. I've said everything. Mix between violence and literature. And pornography, too. Come on, this suits him perfectly!

EVANGELION: ...I refuse to explain. Just trust me it makes sense.

•Doug Holt•

VIOLET EVERGARDEN: A woman broken by the war discovers her self feelings through her life and her job. I think that this show is perfect for a soulful man like Doug.

JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: Too long to explain, but Doug himself reminds me a JoJo character so--

ABSOLUTE DUO: Again, protection and team play, the one and only partner in life and in battles. I can't explain the anime in a nut bc I don't remember the plot.

•Arthur Fleck•

MOB PSYCHO 100: A boy who cannot control his feelings and his extremely powerful telekinesis, so he suppress everything into a numb face and an indifferent behaviour. Just perfect to me.

GURREN LAGANN: The growth of a boy and his team in a hard situation. The exaggeration in this show doesn't reduce the poetry, and I think it's perfect for him.

THE PROMISED NEVERLAND: The story follows a group of orphans in their escape plan from an orphanage after they realise a dark secret. It's perfect for our little adorable orphan man.

•Max California•

DARLING IN THE FRANXX: Okay, I have to admit that I chose this one for the ecchi content, but hey, they are teens, and they are discovering the world before the world they are living in. They are even understanding the matter of the soulmate. Idk, it suits him to me.

CELLS AT WORK BLACK: My, this anime explains what happens into the body of a smoker, alcoholic, stressed man, with erectile dysfunction and STDs. In a dramatic way. It's gore and educational, just like him!

KUZU NO HONKAI: A tangled and complicated love story.

•Commodus•

MIRAI NIKKI: People try to kill each other to conquer the title of boss of the universe or something similar, I don't remember. Like gladiators do, more or less, so our Ceasar would enjoy a lot this show!

BEASTARS: I don't know how to explain this to make sure that my choice makes sense, even bc the explanation is long and difficult. But trust me, it does make sense ;-;

JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: I'm sorry, this anime is so wide.

•Jimmy Emmett•

ORE MONOGATARI: A cute, pure and adorable love story between teenagers. I was thinking about Jimmy at first, but there is the intense platonic love made of admiration and protection that makes me relate it to the Abbé.

TORADORA: Classic, cute and funny love story between two students of high school, I think it's just perfect for this cute teenager~

ATTACK ON TITAN JUNIOR HIGH: Attack on Titan, just that Titans and Soldiers are students, so the dramatic atmosphere is now funny and light.

•Theodore Twombly•

CELLS AT WORK: Cells at Work Black, just that the body is perfect healthy. So this is just educational.

YURI!!! ON ICE: An homosexual love growing between a professional ice skater and a naive one. Adorable like Theo.

BLEND S: A cute place where people are welcomed by maids who take the role of an anime stereotype (Tsundere, Dandere etc), just the stereotype is the opposite of their actual personality.

•Willie Gutierrez•

BLACK BUTLER: An orphan kid and his mysterious butler solve local mysteries, while their past is discovered. I see our Willie as a thriller lover. This show is not properly a thriller, but we all got the point ^^`

KAKEGURUI: An high school where gamble is the basic rule for everything. Yep, I think it's enough.

DEATH PARADE: After death, humans are either reincarnated or sent to the void. This is decided by their earthly life. Sounds fair.

UPDATE: I F-ed up with the relations between anime and characters ^^``